Five of the craziest Premier League matches of all time
The Premier League is widely considered the best football league in the world, and for over 30 years, it has been imbued with drama and tension. It leaves fans gripped and it invariably provides value for money.
Many games will have been shrouded in controversy, but there will be plenty that will have been goal-laden. Anyway, without further ado, we have taken a trip down memory lane and revisited five of the craziest Premier League matches witnessed, and they are in no particular order.
Manchester United 8-2 Arsenal, 2011
While the Old Trafford faithful were treated to 10 goals, the bulk of which were of the highest quality, many would have been left rubbing their eyes in disbelief at the seemingly simplistic nature of Manchester United’s win.
Arsenal had got their league campaign after an inauspicious start with a draw at Newcastle and a defeat to Liverpool, but United ripped a makeshift Gunners side to shreds. It was a chaotic classic as United inflicted total humiliation on the north London outfit, with Danny Welbeck playing a starring role as he claimed a hat-trick.
Wojciech Szczesny was left helpless, and Ashley Young also scored two virtually carbon-copy goals in the rout. Arsenal succumbed with barely a whimper, and it marked their heaviest defeat since 1927. Only 56 days later, United were on the receiving end of a thumping as they were thrashed 6-1 by crosstown rivals Manchester City.
Leeds 4-3 Liverpool, 2000
Back in the early 2000s, Leeds made for box-office viewing, and they were a formidable force, reaching the Champions League semi-finals before bowing out to Valencia. Anyway, under the steely management of David O’Leary, they sent Liverpool packing in dramatic fashion from Elland Road.
Liverpool raced into a 2-0 lead inside 18 minutes thanks to strikes from Sami Hyypia and Christian Ziege, but this match will forever be remembered as the Mark Viduka show. The Australian hauled Leeds on level terms with two goals in the space of 23 minutes, and though Leeds trailed 3-2, Viduka had the midas touch.
Everything he did was pure perfection. His fourth and final goal was scintillating as he dispatched a cute chip over the onrushing Sander Westerveld. This was a truly stupendous game that is still talked about today.
Liverpool 4-4 Arsenal, 2009
Liverpool and Arsenal feature again on this list, and they played out a true humdinger at Anfield over 14 years ago. The Reds were troubled by defensive frailties as Arsenal exposed their flaws with searing counter-attacks orchestrated by Andrey Arshavin.
The diminutive Russian playmaker weighed in with four goals, and although Yossi Benayoun grabbed a last-gasp stoppage time equaliser, the result proved to be a death knell in Liverpool’s title hopes.
Manchester City 3-2 QPR, 2012
Manchester City never do things the easier way and that is exemplified by their kamikaze win over QPR. Chasing a maiden Premier League crown, City looked to have messed things up when they found themselves 2-1 down against 10-man QPR following strikes from Djibril Cisse and Jamie Mackie.
When the whistle blew up at the Stadium of Light, the picture was clear. Only a win would suffice, and City frontman Edin Dzeko restored parity in the second minute of second-half stoppage time with a towering header. There was still time for Mario Balotelli to tee up Sergio Aguero who fired into the bottom corner. The Argentine wheeled away in ecstasy spinning his shirt above his head, and this cued scenes of pandemonium in the Etihad Stadium. Never has the denouement of a Premier League title race been so dramatic, and it was simply extraordinary.
Tottenham Hotspur 1-4 Chelsea, 2023
For the sheer level of VAR chaos sparked by this game, this combustible fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will take some beating. Indeed, there is no love lost between the two London rivals. There were nine separate VAR checks which saw five goals disallowed, and Tottenham had two men sent off.
Dejan Kulusevski fired Tottenham into the lead in the sixth-minute lead, but after that, Tottenham seemed to lose their heads. Cristian Romero was given his marching orders for following through on Enzo Fernandes with a scything challenge in the penalty area, and Destiny Udige departed for a second yellow card 10 minutes after the restart, although he was lucky not to be given a straight red for a two-footed challenge earlier in the game.
Apart from seeing James Maddison and Micky Van den Ven depart due to injury, nine-men Tottenham repelled Chelsea for 25 minutes by playing a high line and taking some risks to stem the flow of attacks, and it looked to be working with Mauricio Pochettino’s charges fast running out of ideas. However, Chelsea ran out 4-1 winners with Nicolas Jackson grabbing a hat-trick, although the main takeaway from that game was Tottenham’s bravery as opposed to the Blues’ emphatic victory.
As mentioned, the Premier League always makes for compelling viewing, and there are plenty of betting sites out there that will plug odds for England’s top-flight division, including Non GamStop operators. You will only need to read a Magic Win review to learn that the Premier League falls into their remit, and they advertise competitive prices for a wide variety of pre-match markets for bettors to tuck into.
While this guide has reminisced on five crazy Premier League matches, many didn’t make the list, but we tried to be as selective as possible. You can expect plenty more chaotic games before the current season runs its course.
By Charles Perrin
